Bulldogs

Blake Stern previews the NBA's Central Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and burning question entering the year.

NBA Central Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

It&rsquo;s the easiest call of the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-draft-2023-wembanyama-b3449d1a5f7a7de5906bb1979ffb2a26">NBA draft</a>: The San Antonio Spurs won.
That&rsquo;s not to say other teams didn&rsquo;t do very well on Thursday, when 58 players were selected as the league&rsquo;s newest members. But the Spurs being able to take generational French talent Victor Wembanyama puts them at the head of the class.
Some of the teams that also did well: NBA champion Denver, Golden State, Toronto &mdash; even with just one pick &mdash; and Orlando, which might now be closer to returning to the postseason mix.
A breakdown of which teams had Excellent drafts, those that had Good drafts and others that will have to Wait and See:
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h2 Component-p-0-2-71">EXCELLENT</h2>
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">DALLAS MAVERICKS</h3>
Picks: Dereck Lively II (12, via trade); Olivier-Maxence Prosper (24, via trade).
Dallas got the big man it wanted and created opportunity by moving Davis Bertans. Hard to argue that it wasn&rsquo;t a good night. And now free agency awaits. Prosper is another player with big potential and was extremely hard to guard at Marquette.
Picks: Julian Strawther (29), Jalen Pickett (32, will be acquired via trade), Hunter Tyson (37),
Pickett should have gone in the first round. He&rsquo;s that good, and the NBA champions just got another do-it-all guy who will also serve as insurance should Bruce Brown leave in free agency.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">DETROIT PISTONS</h3>
Picks: Ausar Thompson (5), Marcus Sasser (25, via trade), James Nnaji (31)
No matter what, the Pistons were going to get better and deeper on Thursday night. Thompson is incredibly athletic (even by NBA standards) and plays defense with a ton of energy.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS</h3>
Picks: Brandin Podziemski (19), Trayce Jackson-Davis (57, via trade)
Play to your strength, and the Warriors got another shooter to add to the mix with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Podziemski could add something right away, and came to Golden State on the same day that the Warriors swung a deal for Chris Paul by sending Jordan Poole to Washington.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">HOUSTON ROCKETS</h3>
Picks: Amen Thompson (4), Cam Whitmore (20)
Thompson is a great move and gives Detroit another great option as it builds. If Whitmore is healthy, then Houston got an absolute steal by getting the Villanova forward at No. 20.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER</h3>
Picks: Cason Wallace (10, via trade), Keyontae Johnson (50)
Wallace was great for Kentucky in his lone college season and played perhaps his best game in the Wildcats&rsquo; finale in the NCAA tournament. He can score; he didn&rsquo;t look to score quite often enough at times in college.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">ORLANDO MAGIC</h3>
Picks: Anthony Black (6), Jett Howard (11)
Paolo Banchero got a couple more shooters to help him out, and the young and talented Magic got more young talent. An excellent night again and it&rsquo;s time to start thinking about Orlando as a team that should make a run at the play-in &mdash; at minimum.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">SAN ANTONIO SPURS</h3>
Picks: Victor Wembanyama (1), Sidy Cissoko (44).
Their grade was secured at the very moment that the last ping-pong ball appeared at the lottery last month. Wembanyama was a no-brainer, and now it&rsquo;s up to the Spurs to start the real work &mdash; get him into the gym, see how he fits, and figure out what the plan is going forward.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">TORONTO RAPTORS</h3>
Pick: Gradey Dick (13)
Dick showed up to the draft in a red-and-black jacket &mdash; a nod to Dorothy from &ldquo;The Wizard of Oz&rdquo; and his Kansas roots. The color scheme will work in Toronto as well. Dick is a pure shooter, and no team can have too many of those. The jury&rsquo;s still out on what the Raptors will be this coming season, but this kid will be a rotation piece.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">UTAH JAZZ</h3>
Picks: Taylor Hendricks (9), Keyonte George (16), Brice Sensabaugh (28)
Hendricks is what an NBA big pretty much is now; a power forward who can also defend centers. George was the Big 12 rookie of the year at Baylor and is a proven scorer. He&rsquo;s good from the line, has 3-point potential and can get to the rim. There&rsquo;s some work to do, but he&rsquo;s a serious prospect.
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h2 Component-p-0-2-71">GOOD</h2>
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">BROOKLYN NETS</h3>
Picks: Noah Clowney (21), Dariq Whitehead (22), Jalen Wilson (51)
Clowney is an athletic big from Alabama whose game is still a bit unfinished. Whitehead has enormous potential and was highly recruited by Duke, but foot issues are a concern. Wilson was the Big 12 player of the year at Kansas. The Nets likely didn&rsquo;t choose three elite programs accidentally. Lot to like here.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">CHARLOTTE HORNETS</h3>
Picks: Brandon Miller (2), Nick Smith Jr. (27), Amari Bailey (41).
Miller made sense over Scoot Henderson because the Hornets have a point guard already. But Henderson might be the more NBA-ready player.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">INDIANA PACERS</h3>
Picks: Jarace Walker (8, via trade), Ben Sheppard (26), Julian Strawther (29), Mojave King (47, via trade), Isaiah Wong (55)
Walker plays hard on both ends, and this is rare to say, but he might play harder on defense than he does on offense. And getting Wong &mdash; the ACC player of the year &mdash; so late is a steal.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS</h3>
Picks: Kobe Brown (30), Jordan Miller (48)
Brown is a strong player, addicted to rebounding, and probably needs to improve considerably on the offensive end. Miller did a little of everything for the Miami Hurricanes in their run to the Final Four.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">LOS ANGELES LAKERS</h3>
Picks: Jalen Hood-Schifino (17), Maxwell Lewis (40, via trade).
Hood-Schifino got NBA coaching in college last season; Indiana is coached by Mike Woodson. He&rsquo;s a winner; his high school teams won, his Indiana team went to the NCAA Tournament and he&rsquo;ll obviously benefit from time with LeBron James.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">MIAMI HEAT</h3>
Pick: Jaime Jaquez Jr. (18)
A four-year college player whose game got more complete each year, Jaquez has a notorious work ethic that should fit in quite well with the Eastern Conference champions.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">NEW ORLEANS PELICANS</h3>
Pick: Jordan Hawkins (14)
Hawkins was a big part of UConn&rsquo;s team that won the national title last spring, earning his way onto the All-Tournament team. New Orleans got a winner.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS</h3>
Picks: Scoot Henderson (3), Kris Murray (23), Rayan Rupert (43).
Henderson has shown that he&rsquo;s NBA-ready. The Blazers drafted well. But really, the only question now is whether Damian Lillard is happy or not. Murray is the twin brother of Sacramento&rsquo;s Keegan Murray and had a big season for Iowa &mdash; averaging just over 20 points per game.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">WASHINGTON WIZARDS</h3>
Picks: Bilal Coulibaly (7, via trade), Tristan Vukcevic (42)
The Wizards are starting over, and on the day they also agreed to acquire Jordan Poole from Golden State they just happened to get a French player. (No, not that one.) But Coulibaly is highly touted by No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, and that&rsquo;s enough of an endorsement for us.
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h2 Component-p-0-2-71">WAIT AND SEE</h2>
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">ATLANTA HAWKS</h3>
Picks: Kobe Bufkin (15), Mouhamed Gueye (39, via trade), Seth Lundy (46)
Bufkin had a great second half of the season at Michigan, and left-handers always provide defenses with an extra challenge. The best way to describe his game is this: He doesn&rsquo;t do much wrong. Very solid, can help the Hawks in a lot of ways.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">BOSTON CELTICS</h3>
Picks: James Njaji (31, via trade), Jordan Walsh (38, via trade)
Still only 18, Njaji started playing the game about seven years ago and is not even close to reaching his potential yet. Big prospect.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">CHICAGO BULLS</h3>
Pick: Julian Phillips (35, via trade)
The Bulls had to forfeit what would have been their pick because of free-agency violations last summer, and swung a deal with Boston to land the Tennessee wing.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">CLEVELAND CAVALIERS</h3>
Pick: Emoni Bates (49)
He was touted as a star since basically middle school, had more than his share of promising moments in college, and now has to really prove himself.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES</h3>
Picks: Gregory Jackson II (45), Tarik Biberovic (56)
Prospects. They&rsquo;re not expected to provide any real help anytime soon.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">MILWAUKEE BUCKS</h3>
Picks: Andre Jackson (36, via trade), Chris Livingston (58)
Jackson was a big part of UConn&rsquo;s national championship. He&rsquo;s only going to benefit from being around Giannis Antetokounmpo every day.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES</h3>
Picks: Leonard Miller (33, via trade), Jaylen Clark (53)
Miller had a lot of big moments playing with Scoot Henderson and the G League Ignite this past season. Athleticism is tough to ignore.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">NEW YORK KNICKS</h3>
No picks.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">PHILADELPHIA 76ERS</h3>
No picks.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">PHOENIX SUNS</h3>
Pick: Toumani Camara (52)
Given the trades that they&rsquo;re making, this might be one of their last picks for quite some time. There&rsquo;s nothing wrong with not valuing the draft, but giving up on it entirely is a dangerous game to play too often.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">SACRAMENTO KINGS</h3>
Picks: Colby Jones (34, via trade), Jalen Slawson (54)
Jones has skills the Kings crave; great shooter, great passing and great vision. A young Kevin Huerter-type in those regards.

Which teams came away from the 2023 NBA Draft as big winners? Check out the AP's draft report cards.

NBA draft report cards: Spurs, Rockets among teams that hit it big

On Tuesday afternoon, the NBA announced the 78 players who are expected to attend the 2023 NBA Draft Combine, which will take place at the Wintrust Arena and Marriott Marquis in Chicago from May 15-21.
Players will have interviews with NBA teams and participate in five-on-five games as well as shooting and strength-and-agility drills. Coverage of the 2023 NBA Draft Combine will begin May 17 on ESPN2 from 2-6 p.m. ET and continues May 18 from 4-8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The NBA Draft Combine will also be available on the ESPN App. Strength-and-agility drills and shooting drills will be broadcast live on the NBA App on May 15 from 3-5 p.m. ET.
Additionally, a select number of standout players from the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-g-league-announces-45-draft-prospects-competing-in-g-league-elite-camp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 NBA G League Elite Camp</a>, which takes place May 13-14 at Wintrust Arena, will be invited to participate in the NBA Draft Combine.
Unfortunately, projected No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama won't be in attendance at the 2023 NBA Draft Combine as he has yet to finish his season overseas with Metropolitans 92.
Below is a list of expected attendees for the 2023 NBA Draft Combine:
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Trey Alexander (Creighton)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Seth Lundy (Penn State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Amari Bailey (UCLA)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Kevin McCullar (Kansas)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Emoni Bates (Eastern Michigan)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Mike Miles Jr. (TCU)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Reece Beekman (Virginia)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Brandon Miller (Alabama)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Anthony Black (Arkansas)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Jordan Miller (Miami)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Adem Bona (UCLA)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Leonard Miller (G League Ignite)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Kobe Brown (Missouri)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Judah Mintz (Syracuse)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Kobe Bufkin (Michigan)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Dillon Mitchell (Texas)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Toumani Camara (Dayton)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Omari Moore (San Jose State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Sidy Cissoko (G League Ignite)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Kris Murray (Iowa)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Jaylen Clark (UCLA)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Grant Nelson (North Dakota State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Noah Clowney (Alabama)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
James Nnaji (Barcelona [Spain] )
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Ricky Council IV (Arkansas)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Julian Phillips (Tennessee)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Gradey Dick (Kansas)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Jalen Pickett (Penn State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Nikola Djurisic (Mega [Serbia] )
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Zach Edey (Purdue)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Marquette)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Adam Flagler (Baylor)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Rayan Rupert (New Zealand Breakers [Oceania] )
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Keyonte George (Baylor)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Adama Sanogo (Connecticut)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Mouhamed Gueye (Washington State)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Marcus Sasser (Houston)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Coleman Hawkins (Illinois)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Brice Sensabaugh (Ohio State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Jordan Hawkins (Connecticut)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Terrence Shannon Jr. (Illinois)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Scoot Henderson (G League Ignite)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Ben Sheppard (Belmont)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Taylor Hendricks (UCF)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Jalen Slawson (Furman)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
DaRon Holmes II (Dayton)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Nick Smith Jr. (Arkansas)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Jalen Hood-Schifino (Indiana)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Terquavion Smith (North Carolina State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Jett Howard (Michigan)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Julian Strawther (Gonzaga)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Andre Jackson Jr. (Connecticut)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Amen Thompson (Overtime Elite)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
GG Jackson II (South Carolina)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Ausar Thompson (Overtime Elite)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Drew Timme (Gonzaga)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Colby Jones (Xavier)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Tristan Vukcevic (Partizan [Serbia] )
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Jarace Walker (Houston)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Arthur Kaluma (Creighton)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Cason Wallace (Kentucky)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Mojave King (G League Ignite)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Jordan Walsh (Arkansas)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Bobi Klintman (Wake Forest)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Dariq Whitehead (Duke)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Maxwell Lewis (Pepperdine)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Cam Whitmore (Villanova)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Dereck Lively II (Duke)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Jalen Wilson (Kansas)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Chris Livingston (Kentucky)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Isaiah Wong (Miami)
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

The NBA announced the 78 players who are expected to attend the 2023 NBA Draft Combine.

NBA announces 78 Draft Combine participants, but no Victor Wembanyama

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; KJ Adams scored a career-high 22 points and No. 2 Kansas closed the game on an 18-4 run to beat Oklahoma 79-75 on Tuesday night.
Kansas (14-1, 3-0 Big 12) got 17 points from Jalen Wilson, 11 from Dajuan Harris and 10 from Zach Clemence. The Jayhawks have won 22 straight games against Oklahoma in Allen Fieldhouse, including 16 straight under coach Bill Self.
Oklahoma (10-5, 1-2 Big 12) was led by Grant Sherfield&rsquo;s season-high 25 points. Sam Godwin added 12 points, Milos Uzan had 11 and Tanner Groves had 10.
Kansas went more than 12 minutes without a field goal in the second half, but Adams ended that streak with a thunderous dunk at the 5:06 mark.
NO. 5 TENNESSEE 77, VANDERBILT 68
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Santiago Vescovi and Julian Phillips each scored 15 points as Tennessee recovered from a halftime deficit to pull out a win over Vanderbilt.
Vescovi scored 12 of his points in the second half to lead the recovery for the Volunteers (14-2, 4-0 Southeastern Conference), who won their 25th straight game at Thompson-Boling Arena. Uros Plavsic contributed 11 points.
Vandy&rsquo;s 7-foot Liam Robbins won the battle of the big men with 18 points off the bench. Noah Shelby had 12 points and Jordan Wright added 13 for Vanderbilt (8-8, 1-2).
NO. 11 KANSAS STATE 65, OKLAHOMA STATE 57
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Markquis Nowell scored 20 points and found Keyontae Johnson for an alley-oop dunk with 38 seconds left as Kansas State held off Oklahoma State.
Johnson added 12 points and Desi Sills had 11 for the Wildcats (15-1, 4-0 Big 12), who won their ninth straight and matched their victory total from last season. Predicted to finish last in the Big 12, Kansas State went from unranked last week to just outside the top 10 in the AP poll.
Kalib Boone scored 23 points and Caleb Asberry had 15 for the Cowboys (9-7, 1-3), who have lost three of four, all by 10 points or fewer.
NO. 13 VIRGINIA 65, NORTH CAROLINA 58
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Ben Vander Plas had 17 points and eight rebounds and Virginia used a 17-2 second-half run to beat North Carolina, which lost leading scorer and rebounder Armando Bacot to a left ankle injury.
Reece Beekman scored 13 points and Armaan Franklin had 12 points and nine rebounds as the Cavaliers (12-3, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their eighth straight meeting with the Tar Heels at John Paul Jones Arena.
Bacot rolled his ankle 1:18 into the game and did not return. RJ Davis led the Tar Heels (11-6, 3-3) with 16 points and Caleb Love and Jalen Washington added 13 each. Washington, a freshman, played 27 minutes in Bacot&rsquo;s absence.
NO. 14 IOWA STATE 84, TEXAS TECH 50
AMES, Iowa (AP) &mdash; Gabe Kalscheur scored a season-high 25 points to help Iowa State roll past Texas Tech.
Kalscheur made five of six shots from 3-point range and was 10 of 14 overall as the Cyclones (13-2, 4-0 Big 12) coasted to their sixth straight win.
Jaren Holmes added 15 points. Caleb Grill finished with 14 after hitting four of his first six 3-pointers. Iowa State finished 12 of 22 from behind the arc.
De&rsquo;Vion Harmon led Tech (10-6, 0-4) with 14 points.
MICHIGAN STATE 69, NO. 18 WISCONSIN 65
MADISON, Wis. (AP) &mdash; A.J. Hoggard made a tiebreaking layup with 41 seconds left and Michigan State rallied past Wisconsin for its seventh consecutive victory in a game that had 14 lead changes.
Wisconsin (11-4, 3-2 Big Ten) was playing its second straight game without leading scorer and three-year starter Tyler Wahl, who averages 13.2 points per game.
Joey Hauser had 20 points for Michigan State (12-4, 4-1), which won its first road game since Dec. 7. Tyson Walker added 13 points, Jaden Akins 12 and Hoggard 10.
Steven Crowl scored 19 points, Chucky Hepburn 14 and Connor Essegian 13 for Wisconsin.
NO. 21 AUBURN 82, OLE MISS 73
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) &mdash; Wendell Green Jr. scored 23 points, including 18 in the second half, and Auburn dominated after halftime to beat Mississippi.
Auburn (13-3, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) trailed 35-34 at the break but put together runs of 6-0, 10-2 and 9-4 in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.
Johni Broome had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Allen Flanigan added 15 points and Jaylin Williams scored 11 for the Tigers, who shot 17 of 28 (60.7%) in the second half.
Matthew Murrell led Ole Miss (8-8, 0-4) with 24 points, adding six rebounds and four assists. Tye Fagan scored 13 points and Jaemyn Brakefield added 12 for the Rebels, who lost their fifth straight.
NO. 23 SAN DIEGO STATE 74, NEVADA 65
SAN DIEGO (AP) &mdash; Matt Bradley scored 17 points and Lamont Butler added 15 and San Diego State took sole possession of first place in the Mountain West Conference.
The Aztecs (13-3, 4-0 MWC) dominated on both ends of Steve Fisher Court in a showdown between the last two undefeated teams in the conference to extend their winning streak to six games. Keshad Johnson added 11 points for SDSU, which has beaten Nevada nine straight times.
Nick Davidson scored 17, Kenan Blackshear 12 and Jarod Lucas 11 for Nevada (14-4, 4-1), whose six-game winning streak was snapped.

A recap of Tuesday's men's top-25 action includes a career night from Jayhawks forward KJ Adams.

No. 2 Kansas extends home win streak against Oklahoma to 22

In 2021, &ldquo;NBA&rdquo; was the No. 1 trending Google search in the United States, beating out &ldquo;Squid Game,&rdquo; &ldquo;Mega Millions&rdquo; and &ldquo;stimulus check&rdquo; among other top searches. &ldquo;NBA&rdquo; also fared well globally, ranking as Google&rsquo;s No. 4 trending search worldwide.
Kevin Esteves, the NBA&rsquo;s associate vice president of digital strategy and analytics, did a double take when Google released this <a href="https://trends.google.com/trends/yis/2021/US/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> a few weeks ago.
&ldquo;I read it a few times just to make sure I understood what they were capturing and measuring,&rdquo; Esteves told BasketballNews.com in a phone interview. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an incredible stat. In a year like 2021 &mdash; with all of the news and trending searches that would&rsquo;ve been in contention for the No. 1 spot &mdash; for the NBA to occupy that top spot, I think it&rsquo;s just a testament to the health of the brand and how exciting the league has been over the last few years. It&rsquo;s an incredible brand-health metric for us, but I think it also speaks to how the NBA is more than just a basketball league; it kind of infiltrates the conversation across culture, music, fashion and social justice.&rdquo;
The NBA has always had an excellent online presence, but 2021 was perhaps the league&rsquo;s most impressive year to date.
Last year, the NBA was the most-viewed and most-engaged pro-sports-league account on social media, driving 24 billion views and 2.3 billion engagements across all platforms. Also, the NBA added 18 million followers across Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook combined last year &mdash; the most of any U.S. pro sports league.
&ldquo;What&rsquo;s really been our guiding philosophy throughout is we&rsquo;ve tried to be a first-mover on all of these platforms, and in many cases, we were the first sports-league account on the platform,&rdquo; Esteves explained. &ldquo;Then, it&rsquo;s about optimizing content for the platform that we&rsquo;re on &mdash; not just spraying the same piece of content across all of our platforms, but really optimizing for each platform, nurturing that fan base and giving them exactly what they want. That&rsquo;s sort of been key in our recipe for success.&rdquo;
In addition to growing its following on the larger platforms like Instagram and Twitter, the NBA also had a number of successful live activations on Twitch and TikTok among others. Even the way the league embraced Clubhouse during the height of its popularity &mdash; with regularly scheduled Watch Parties &mdash; is indicative of this philosophy.
&ldquo;I think a lot of brands can be hesitant around new platforms as they&rsquo;re emerging because they aren&rsquo;t sure if the ROI is there, or they&rsquo;re not sure exactly how it ladders up to their overall company objective,&rdquo; Esteves said. &ldquo;When you think about social media when it first started, a lot of brands were in the business of driving people back to their website or other offerings, whereas I think we&rsquo;ve always had the directive from our executives to optimize for the platform we&rsquo;re on and nurture engagement there.
&ldquo;At first, it was a very big marketing platform for us, but now, social drives just about every business objective that we have. But I don&rsquo;t think we could have achieved that if we were thinking that our first post on each platform had to drive 10 of our business objectives. We had to nurture engagement on those platforms to then be able to capitalize in the long-term. I think we benefited from that approach. Globally, I think you&rsquo;re starting to see more and more sports leagues embrace a similar approach, being on multiple platforms and [creating specific] content that they make available on those platforms to engage fans and ultimately increase the reach of the sport.&rdquo;
The NBA currently has the most followers of any pro-sports-league account on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nba/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> (63.1 million), <a href="https://twitter.com/nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>&nbsp;(35.9 million), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/NBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube</a> (17.7 million) and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@nba?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> (14.2 million). In comparison, the NFL has just 22.7 million Instagram followers, 28.3 million Twitter followers, 8.7 million YouTube subscribers and 7.4 million TikTok followers.
A big part of Esteves&rsquo; job is trying to turn those followers into regular viewers. He describes this as &ldquo;a pivotal challenge and opportunity.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We believe that social [media] is a driver of awareness and reach, and that it can complement and increase linear viewership,&rdquo; Esteves said. &ldquo;We know that there are such avid communities, whether it&rsquo;s the #NBATwitter community or the communities that we have on YouTube, Reddit, you name it. They are among the most vibrant social communities on each platform, and we believe that it&rsquo;s a complementary offering. It&rsquo;s long been our strategy to drive awareness through social.
"For a game like Klay Thompson&rsquo;s return, we had a live social producer on hand to capture Klay&rsquo;s arrival, his warm-up routine, him coming out of the locker room and just all of that context. For all of our biggest nationally televised games, we&rsquo;re making it appointment-style viewing. We know that fans on social are inundated with content. You see the trends on a platform like TikTok, where seemingly anyone can go viral now with content that they just captured on their phone.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s so much content saturation out there right now, so you really have to break through the noise, and we&rsquo;ve found that the best way to do that is to be authentic and provide access that nobody else can. Before tip-off of Klay&rsquo;s return, we had a video of Klay running right up to the stanchion and he jumps into the camera. There&rsquo;s no way you can get closer than that! And we&rsquo;ve always felt that is important.
"Something that [Commissioner] Adam Silver always says is, &lsquo;Ninety-nine percent of our fans never get to attend a game live.&rsquo; So how do we use social to bring the game courtside and make them feel like they&rsquo;re actually there? We feel like that&rsquo;s a critical bridge between social and TV tune-in, creating those authentic relationships and providing the context for why this is such a big game or matchup. We use social to do that storytelling.&rdquo;
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Having a live social producer on hand for Thompson&rsquo;s return paid off, as the NBA&rsquo;s Instagram generated 103 million views &mdash; &nbsp;the most-viewed regular-season day in the account&rsquo;s history. Klay-specific content generated more than 110 million views across the NBA&rsquo;s socials, making Thompson&rsquo;s return the most-viewed regular-season moment ever. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CYiCTLxLOFE/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Video of Thompson&rsquo;s pregame introduction</a> received 22.3 million views, which is the NBA&rsquo;s second-most-viewed Instagram video of all-time.
It translated to linear viewership too. On NBA TV, the game averaged 844,000 viewers, making it the league's most-viewed regular-season game since 2016. Locally, NBC Sports Bay Area had a 12.7 household rating, the network's highest-rated regular-season game since 2016.
The NBA is terrific at creating these moments that get everyone talking. During the 2021 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta, the league&rsquo;s Instagram account generated more than 139 million views &mdash; the most of any account on the platform that day. The NBA&rsquo;s IG also racked up the most views of any account when Stephen Curry broke the NBA&rsquo;s all-time three-point record, generating 63 million views in 24 hours.
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And thanks to the super active and passionate community on #NBATwitter, it&rsquo;s not uncommon to see multiple players and teams trending on Twitter whenever something notable happens in the NBA. Several years ago, I asked Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey about the rise of #NBATwitter and how it became one of the most-engaged communities on the platform.
&ldquo;I think the first reason it&rsquo;s become so strong is the league&rsquo;s acceptance of it. And not just acceptance, but usage of it,&rdquo; Dorsey <a href="https://hoopshype.com/2018/08/26/cofounder-ceo-tweet-twitter-edit-nba-warriors-jack-dorsey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a>. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a very open mindset to technologies like Twitter and that&rsquo;s helped immensely. I also think the pace of Twitter matches the pace of the NBA and basketball in general. We [focused on] very brief moments and it&rsquo;s fast-paced and there&rsquo;s a lot going on, and you find a lot of the same dynamics within basketball and an appreciation for those things within the fan base.
"We were fortunate to get a lot of the players on the service [early] and also the commentators &mdash; a lot of the smart commentators... We have some of the most amazing fans on #NBATwitter too... I think it&rsquo;s a good companion to the event and to what you&rsquo;re watching. It also has that feeling of making the world smaller. We&rsquo;re all watching this game at once; we all saw the same thing and here&rsquo;s how we all feel about it &mdash; whether we&rsquo;re outraged or we&rsquo;re excited, we&rsquo;re [part] of the crowd.&rdquo;
Esteves agrees with Dorsey.
&ldquo;When it comes to #NBATwitter, we&rsquo;ve leaned in, of course. Our game is high-paced, volatile, real-time and has all of those &lsquo;did-you-just-see-that&rsquo; moments that are kind of perfect fodder for a platform like Twitter. I think we&rsquo;ve benefited from the product on the court. The NBA is an extremely exciting product on the court with many rising talents," Dorsey said.
"The other day, Ja Morant had his freakish block in transition, and that&rsquo;s just fuel for Twitter and the conversation that&rsquo;s occurring there. In many ways, it&rsquo;s also a credit to the media, who are such a valuable part of that ecosystem and conversation, and to our players, who not only produce on the court but have been very invested. Shaq was among the first people with a Twitter account, period. Having our players invested in the platform helped. We&rsquo;ve benefited from that marriage, that partnership over the years, and our game has grown as a result."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
JA MORANT WILD BLOCK 😳 <a href="https://t.co/ZxQqdCWFsk">pic.twitter.com/ZxQqdCWFsk</a>
&mdash; NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1480371894893248512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

If you&rsquo;re a basketball fan, it&rsquo;s almost impossible to avoid #NBATwitter these days. Even if you aren&rsquo;t on the platform, you&rsquo;re bound to hear about various tweets and the drama that unfolds there. When DeAndre Jordan flip-flopped on his free-agency decision to join the Dallas Mavericks and re-signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, that saga played out on #NBATwitter. Bryan Colangelo lost his job as general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers because some #NBATwitter sleuths discovered his burner account. Nearly every free-agency signing, trade and draft pick is reported first on #NBATwitter. It has become an integral part of the NBA landscape. It&rsquo;s also wildly entertaining.
&ldquo;My favorite account &mdash; and one that I think makes #NBATwitter so special &mdash; is Draymond Green&rsquo;s mother, <a href="https://twitter.com/babersgreen">@BabersGreen</a>," Dorsey <a href="https://hoopshype.com/2018/08/26/cofounder-ceo-tweet-twitter-edit-nba-warriors-jack-dorsey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a> several years ago. &ldquo;She has found all the other NBA moms on Twitter and she trash-talks them during games! She also trash-talks her own son during games! Watching a game with her tweeting about what&rsquo;s going on with Draymond or with other moms is just entertaining. The basketball game is amazing in itself, but to see her comment on it just makes it funny.&rdquo;
The NBA&rsquo;s YouTube channel is also a huge point of pride. The channel generated 1.94 billion views in 2021, which was the most-viewed year in the channel&rsquo;s 16-year history.
&ldquo;These staggering numbers on YouTube are among the [metrics] we&rsquo;re most proud of because, as I like to say from the data side, this single-year record viewership has been years in the making,&rdquo; Esteves explained. &ldquo;The NBA has been on YouTube since 2005, and the optimizations that are required to kind of perfect your algorithmic traffic are so nuanced; it comes down to thumbnails and headlines and captions and the length of the video and the pace of the video. We&rsquo;re constantly tweaking and optimizing those things, and one thing that we&rsquo;ve seen is that as you further optimize, you get this domino effect where one successful video fuels the performance of the next video and the next video and so on. So, seeing these numbers peak in 2021 is a testament to a lot of the optimizations that we&rsquo;ve made over the course of several years.&rdquo;
This was something that Esteves pointed out several times: the NBA&rsquo;s success in 2021 was the culmination of several years of hard work.
&ldquo;I sit on our Digital Content Strategy and Analytics team and we sit hand in hand with the content-publishing team, and we created that feedback and optimization loop over several years and now we&rsquo;re seeing the dividends of all that work,&rdquo; Esteves said. &ldquo;Also, we&rsquo;re trying to increase data fluency throughout the entire company. We don&rsquo;t want all of the answers to sit in one group that sends out an email or report saying &lsquo;X, Y and Z.&rsquo; We want more people throughout the organization to understand the data and be able to analyze it themselves; I think that has also been part of our success.&rdquo;
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Esteves joined the NBA in 2012, so not only has he witnessed the league&rsquo;s tremendous growth across various platforms, he&rsquo;s also seen how the digital landscape has changed over the last decade.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been an incredible transformation,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I started at the NBA out of school as a project employee on our Social Content team. When I first started, on a lot of these platforms, it was rather intuitive what content you published on each because they were all so different. Twitter was kind of the lifeblood of everything going on with news and commentary, and it was very tech specific. YouTube was where all videos existed and it was kind of the searchable domain of all video. Facebook was more for friends and family and conversations. Instagram started as a photo-only platform.
"From a content-strategy perspective, it was rather intuitive, understanding what content we put on each platform. But now, all of the platforms have evolved so much, and they have replicated a lot of the same features &mdash; from stories to videos to live-streams to audio-only formats. Now, it&rsquo;s a lot more nuanced in terms of trying to understand where the content is going to work best, and that&rsquo;s where the data becomes so important. We&rsquo;re pulling in data from each of these platforms and really getting granular about trying to understand what performs best on each platform.
&ldquo;I think part of what has made us so successful is being open to the data and leaning in to the data, and understanding what&rsquo;s performing well versus what&rsquo;s not performing well. Sometimes, it&rsquo;s hard to admit the things that aren&rsquo;t working, but we&rsquo;ve been very transparent and honest with ourselves, and we hold ourselves accountable to make sure we&rsquo;re optimizing on each of these platforms. Having that approach is another ingredient to our success and how we&rsquo;ve been able to continue growing.&rdquo;
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This data includes interesting details about the NBA&rsquo;s demographics. For example, the NBA&rsquo;s Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts have more than 24 million combined followers from the Philippines &mdash; the most of any country outside of the United States.
&ldquo;One of the things that makes the NBA so unique is its global reach, and we see that show up time and time again in the demographics,&rdquo; Esteves said. &ldquo;The fan support we have in the Philippines, I think, is among the most amazing things I&rsquo;ve witnessed from the data side for the demographics of the NBA. For that country to represent such a significant portion of the consumption we have on a person-to-person basis, they just love the NBA; they love the stories and the players. Our content performs exceptionally well there.
"We see support from countries all over the world &mdash; in Europe, Australia, Africa and so on &mdash; but the Philippines is an example of something that really stood out to me. I think that ties back to a lot of the globalization that the NBA has done, with some of its global games being held in Manila and other locations outside of the U.S. That&rsquo;s been critical and we&rsquo;ve seen that show up in the numbers."
Utilizing these platforms, the NBA has gone from connecting to its biggest local supporters to reaching an audience that spans the entire world.
"Being based in New York, sometimes you have that U.S.-centric bias when you&rsquo;re looking at stuff, but once you see the data, it opens up your mind like, &lsquo;Wow, this content is being consumed in real time across so many different territories and countries across the globe.&rsquo;&rdquo;

In 2021, the NBA was the most-viewed, most-engaged and most-followed pro-sports-league account on social media.

An inside look at how the NBA became a social-media juggernaut

ATLANTA (September 4, 2021) - Overtime Elite (OTE), the transformative new basketball league starting&nbsp;this fall, announced the signings of three additional players. Jahzare Jackson, Jaylen Martin and TJ Clark finalized agreements with OTE, which brings the inaugural roster to 24 players.&nbsp;
(Editor's Note: Read our Spencer Davies' exclusive interview with Aaron Ryan and Brandon Williams, and an extensive profile on Overtime Elite <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.)
Jahzare Jackson
Jahzare Jackson is a 7-0 center originally from San Diego. He&rsquo;s played at IMG academy the last two seasons and has played for the North Coast Blue Chips with Bronny James on the AAU circuit. Jackson is a load in the paint with the ability to overpower opposing big men and finish with both hands. He&rsquo;s a prolific rebounder and serves as a formidable defensive presence.
&ldquo;There is a reason that Jahzare Jackson has captured the imagination of fans all over the world. He packages a combination of elite size, soft hands, and unusually light feet and athleticism,&rdquo; said Brandon Williams, Head of OTE Basketball Operations. &ldquo;Joining OTE is a major step for Jahzare&rsquo;s long term projection, as he maximizes the expertise of OTE&rsquo;s elite coaching and high performance staffs, who are committed to bringing out the best in his game.&rdquo;
Jaylen Martin
Jaylen Martin is a 6-6 small forward from Tallahassee, Florida. The swingman is a strongly-built perimeter player who rebounds well for his position and can guard multiple positions. This past summer, Martin teamed up with Jazian Gortman, another OTE signee, on the AAU circuit with the Nightrydas.
&ldquo;Jaylen is a dynamic wing that has a packaged creativity, athleticism and a crafty offensive feel ,&rdquo; said Brandon Williams, Head of OTE Basketball Operations.&nbsp; &ldquo;He is embracing the challenge of competing with and against elite peers day in and day out and that&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re about at OTE.&ldquo;
TJ Clark
TJ Clark is a 6-4 shooting guard from Covington, Georgia. He is a catch and shoot specialist that played for Newton High School. He led the team last season averaging 14.2 points per game, 3.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals and was named the Newton County Player of the Year.
&ldquo;Representing Covington, GA and Newton High School, TJ has quietly built an accomplished resume as a standout student-athlete, where his relentlessness and drive have put him in a position to enhance his game in the OTE environment,&rdquo; said Brandon Williams, Head of OTE Basketball Operations. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s joining us with the right kind of chip on his shoulder, focused on continual development and proving he belongs amongst the elite."
These three are joining Jalen Lewis from California, Jazian Gortman from South Carolina, Bryson Warren from Arkansas, Amen and Ausar Thompson from Florida, Matt Bewley and Ryan Bewley from Florida, Tyler Smith and Bryce Griggs from Texas, Dominick Barlow from New Jersey, Jai Smith from North Carolina, Malik Bowman from Maryland, Kok Yat from Alaska and De&rsquo;Vontes Cobbs from Wisconsin.
OTE has signed international prospects Jean Montero from the Dominican Republic, Izan Almansa from Spain, Alexandre Sarr from France, Nathan Missia-Dio from Belgium, Emmanuel Maldonado from Puerto Rico, Francis Lopez from the Philippines and Tudor Somacescu from Romania. The league expects to make additional player announcements in the coming weeks.&nbsp;
Every OTE player will earn a six-figure salary, with a guaranteed minimum salary of at least $100,000 per year, plus bonuses and shares of equity in Overtime. In addition, players will participate in revenue from use of their name, image and likeness, including through sales of custom jerseys, trading cards, video games and NFTs.&nbsp;
About OTE
OTE (Overtime Elite) is a transformative new sports league that offers the world&rsquo;s most talented young basketball players a better pathway to becoming professional athletes, while engaging and inspiring a new community of digitally native fans.
OTE (pronounced Oh-Tee-E) provides a comprehensive accelerator for elite players&rsquo; professional careers. The league offers a year-round development program combining world-class coaching, cutting-edge sports science and performance technologies, top-notch facilities, and a rigorous, highly personalized academic program that energizes and enhances each athlete&rsquo;s journey from proficiency to pro.

OTE announced the signings of three more players. Jahzare Jackson, Jaylen Martin and TJ Clark have finalized their agreements.

Overtime Elite signs three more, brings roster to 24 players

ATLANTA (August 23, 2021) &ndash; OTE (Overtime Elite) announced today that it has signed one of the country&rsquo;s top power forwards in Tyler Smith to be part of its inaugural season this September.
(Editor's Note: Read our Spencer Davies' exclusive interview with Aaron Ryan and Brandon Williams, and an extensive profile on Overtime Elite <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.)
Smith is a 6-foot-9-inch, 195-pound power forward who completed his sophomore season at Bush High School in Houston, Texas. &nbsp;He is currently the #8 overall ranked player by ESPN, #19 by 247Sports and #18 by Rivals. The tall lefty can space the floor with his shooting ability, while also being effective in the pick-and-pop and the dribble-hand-off action on the offensive end.
&ldquo;OTE is thrilled to welcome Tyler to our family and are proud to now be a part of his journey,&rdquo; said Brandon Williams, OTE EVP, Head of Basketball Operations. &ldquo;Tyler is a versatile talent that exhibits an on-court confidence that stems from a combination of skill, length, athleticism and competitive intangibles. But what impressed us most is his demonstrated work ethic, and commitment to offensive and defensive development and the desire to be great. He is going to be a great culture fit for what we&rsquo;re building.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Tyler Smith is the definition of a modern big; he&rsquo;s long, athletic, and has a smooth lefty shooting stroke,&rdquo; said OTE Head Coach and Head of Player Development, Kevin Ollie. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re ready to get in the gym and in the classroom with Tyler so that he develops into not only an NBA level basketball player, but more importantly into a level 5, world class person.
Smith is the 16th player to join OTE. He joins other top prospects in Jalen Lewis from California, Jazian Gortman from South Carolina, Amen and Ausar Thompson from Florida, Matt Bewley and Ryan Bewley from Florida, Bryce Griggs from Houston and Jai Smith from North Carolina.
OTE has signed international prospects Jean Montero from the Dominican Republic, Izan Almansa from Spain, Alexandre Sarr from France, Nathan Missia-Dio from Belgium, Emmanuel Maldonado from Puerto Rico, Francis Lopez from the Philippines and Tudor Somacescu from Romania. The league expects to make additional player announcements in the coming weeks to round out the class of 2022.
Every OTE player will earn a six-figure salary, with a guaranteed minimum salary of at least $100,000 per year, plus bonuses and shares of equity in Overtime. In addition, players will participate in revenue from use of their name, image and likeness, including through sales of custom jerseys, trading cards, video games and NFTs.&nbsp;
About OTE
OTE (Overtime Elite) is a transformative new sports league that offers the world&rsquo;s most talented young basketball players a better pathway to becoming professional athletes, while engaging and inspiring a new community of digitally native fans.
OTE (pronounced Oh-Tee-E) provides a comprehensive accelerator for elite players&rsquo; professional careers. The league offers a year-round development program combining world-class coaching, cutting-edge sports science and performance technologies, top-notch facilities, and a rigorous, highly personalized academic program that energizes and enhances each athlete&rsquo;s journey from proficiency to pro.

Smith is a 6-foot-9-inch, 195-pound power forward who completed his sophomore season at Bush High School in Houston, Texas.

Overtime Elite signs five-star power forward prospect Tyler Smith

OTE (Overtime Elite) announced that Bryce Griggs has signed with the transformative new league and will be part of its inaugural season this September.
(Editor's Note: Read our Spencer Davies' exclusive interview with Aaron Ryan and Brandon Williams, and an extensive profile on Overtime Elite <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.)
A 6&rsquo;2&rdquo; point guard from Missouri City, Texas, he has averaged 22.9 PPG, 4.2 APG, 4 RPG and 1.7 SPG in his three seasons at Fort Bend High School. Griggs is a shifty lead guard that uses a combination of high level ball-handling, court vision, and strength to create shots for himself and his teammates.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Bryce Griggs is a player that has been recognized as one the nation&rsquo;s most promising playmaking guards and we are thrilled to welcome him to the OTE family,&rdquo; said Brandon Williams, OTE&rsquo;s EVP and Head of Basketball Operations. &ldquo;Bryce has had one of the best coaches and mentors in John Lucas, and has been attracted to the combination of an NBA caliber coaching staff, sports science, performance and nutrition focuses that will play a crucial role in his development into an NBA player.&rdquo;
&ldquo;As a former point guard, I can&rsquo;t be more excited to start working with Bryce and pass on what I&rsquo;ve learned as a player and coach,&rdquo; said Kevin Ollie, OTE Head Coach and Head of Player Development. &ldquo;Bryce has elite talent which you can see when he has the ball in hands, but we&rsquo;re also going to turn him into an elite leader on and off the floor. That&rsquo;s the promise I&rsquo;m making to him.&rdquo;
Griggs is the 15th player to sign with OTE for its inaugural season. He joins other top prospects in Jalen Lewis from California, Jazian Gortman from South Carolina, Amen and Ausar Thompson from Florida, Matt Bewley and Ryan Bewley from Florida, and Jai Smith from North Carolina.
OTE has signed international prospects Jean Montero from the Dominican Republic, Izan Almansa from Spain, Alexandre Sarr from France, Nathan Missia-Dio from Belgium, Emmanuel Maldonado from Puerto Rico, Francis Lopez from the Philippines and Tudor Somacescu from Romania. The league expects to make additional player announcements in the coming weeks to round out the class of 2022.
Gortman's press release:
ATLANTA (August 11, 2021) - OTE (Overtime Elite) announced that five-star prospect Jazian (Jay-zee-en) Gortman has signed with the transformative new league and will be part of its inaugural season this September.
The 6&rsquo;1&rdquo; point guard from Columbia, South Carolina is one of the top-ranked players in the class of 2022. The consensus five-star averaged 23.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game last season at W.J. Keenan High School. Gortman is a high-energy guard with an incredible motor who is highly scouted as one of the best two-way players in the 2022 class.
&ldquo;Today we landed a critical piece that hits at the core of what we&rsquo;re building. Jazian brings a relentlessness, tenacity and leadership capability to the OTE family,&rdquo; said Brandon Williams, OTE&rsquo;s EVP and Head of Basketball Operations. &ldquo;Jazian is widely regarded as one of the top talents in his class, elevating himself this spring through a visible commitment to developing his craft.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Jazian takes our guard play to the next level with his explosiveness, ability to score, pass, and defend,&rdquo; said Kevin Ollie, OTE Head Coach and Head of Player Development. &ldquo;I get excited about players who always bring level-5 energy - &nbsp;in games, practice, the weight room, the film room, and the classroom. Jazian always brings it and that&rsquo;s why so many have taken notice of him.&rdquo;
OTE provides a comprehensive accelerator for elite players&rsquo; professional careers. The league, a division of next-generation sports brand Overtime, offers a year-round development program combining world-class coaching, cutting-edge sports science and performance technologies, top-notch facilities, and a rigorous, highly personalized academic program that energizes and enhances each athlete&rsquo;s journey.&nbsp;
Every OTE player will earn a six-figure salary, with a guaranteed minimum salary of at least $100,000 per year, plus bonuses and shares of equity in Overtime. In addition, players will participate in revenue from use of their name, image and likeness, including through sales of custom jerseys, trading cards, video games and NFTs.&nbsp;
About OTE
OTE (Overtime Elite) is a transformative new sports league that offers the world&rsquo;s most talented young basketball players a better pathway to becoming professional athletes, while engaging and inspiring a new community of digitally native fans.
OTE (pronounced Oh-Tee-E) provides a comprehensive accelerator for elite players&rsquo; professional careers. The league offers a year-round development program combining world-class coaching, cutting-edge sports science and performance technologies, top-notch facilities, and a rigorous, highly personalized academic program that energizes and enhances each athlete&rsquo;s journey from proficiency to pro.

Overtime Elite announced the additions of Gortman and Griggs to its roster.

Overtime Elite adds point guards Jazian Gortman and Bryce Griggs

ATLANTA (August 5, 2021) - OTE (Overtime Elite) announced today the signing of Izan Almansa, making him the 13th player to join the transformative new league and will be part of its inaugural season this September.
(Editor's Note: Read our Spencer Davies' exclusive interview with Aaron Ryan and Brandon Williams, and an extensive profile on Overtime Elite <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.)
From Murcia, Spain, Almansa is a 6-foot-9 power forward who previously played for Real Madrid Cadete A. He is ranked #6 for 2005 born players on EuroHopes.com and is regarded as one of the top European prospects with NBA potential because of his length, motor and feel for the game.
&ldquo;This is a remarkable day for our program, attracting a player of Izan&rsquo;s talent, upside and character, as we continue to build an incomparable group of elite basketball players from across the world,&rdquo; said Brandon Williams, OTE&rsquo;s EVP and Head of Basketball Operations. &ldquo;OTE was created for players like Izan, who craves the coaching, training, and education that will help maximize his gifts and best prepare him to reach his dreams as an NBA player.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Izan is the type of player that makes you excited to be a coach,&rdquo; said Kevin Ollie, OTE Head Coach and Head of Player Development. &ldquo;This is a young man who&rsquo;s elite natural talent is actually outweighed by his drive and desire to get better. That makes his ceiling limitless and we&rsquo;re going to do our part to ensure he&rsquo;s given everything he needs to become a world class player and person.&rdquo;
Almansa is the thirteenth player to join OTE for its inaugural season. The league has signed top prospects Jalen Lewis from California, Amen and Ausar Thompson from Florida, Matt Bewley and Ryan Bewley from Florida, and Jai Smith from North Carolina.
OTE has signed international prospects Jean Montero from the Dominican Republic, Alexandre Sarr from France, Nathan Missia-Dio from Belgium, Emmanuel Maldonado from Puerto Rico, Francis Lopez from the Philippines and Tudor Somacescu from Romania. The league expects to make additional player announcements in the coming weeks.
OTE provides a comprehensive accelerator for elite players&rsquo; professional careers. The league, a division of next-generation sports brand Overtime, offers a year-round development program combining world-class coaching, cutting-edge sports science and performance technologies, top-notch facilities, and a rigorous, highly personalized academic program that energizes and enhances each athlete&rsquo;s journey.&nbsp;
Every OTE player will earn a six-figure salary, with a guaranteed minimum salary of at least $100,000 per year, plus bonuses and shares of equity in Overtime. In addition, players will participate in revenue from use of their name, image and likeness, including through sales of custom jerseys, trading cards, video games and NFTs.&nbsp;

Regarded as one of the top European prospects, Izan Almansa is the 13th player to sign with Overtime Elite.

Overtime Elite signs highly-touted Spanish power forward Izan Almansa

ATLANTA (July 20, 2021) &ndash; OTE (Overtime Elite) announced today that Tudor Somacescu has signed with the transformative new league and will be part of its inaugural season this September.
(Editor's Note: Read our Spencer Davies' exclusive interview with Aaron Ryan and Brandon Williams, and an extensive profile on Overtime Elite <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.)
The 6-foot-2-inch point guard from Romania is one of the top European prospects, ranked the #3 overall international prospect for 2005 born players by Eurohopes.com. He spent last season in the United States at Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, CA. Prior to coming to the US, he played for U-BT Cluj Napoca in Romania&rsquo;s top division. At just 14 years old, he participated with the Romanian National Team in the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship Division B, averaging 10 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2.7 steals per game.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re incredibly excited to have Tudor join OTE as we continue to assemble a group of talented and driven athletes committed to chasing excellence,&rdquo; said Brandon Williams, OTE&rsquo;s EVP and Head of Basketball Operations. &ldquo;Tudor is a special basketball player who has demonstrated a boldness and courage to journey from Eastern Europe to explore other styles of basketball, compete against top talent, and further hone his skills. He demonstrates high level court vision, a joy for the game and passion for making others better. He will elevate his teammates and we&rsquo;re thrilled to work with him to continue to help him reach his dreams.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Tudor has an advanced basketball IQ, a terrific feel for the game and the ability to share the ball with his teammates, getting everyone involved. They will love playing with him,&rdquo; said Kevin Ollie, OTE Head Coach and Head of Player Development. &ldquo;I look forward to sharing my knowledge as a former point guard to help him develop as a team leader on and off the court.&rdquo;
Somacescu is the twelfth player to join OTE. The league has signed top prospects Jalen Lewis from California, Amen and Ausar Thompson from Florida, Matt Bewley and Ryan Bewley from Florida, and Jai Smith from North Carolina.
OTE has signed international prospects Jean Montero from the Dominican Republic, Alexandre Sarr from France, Nathan Missia-Dio from Belgium, Emmanuel Maldonado from Puerto Rico and Francis Lopez from the Philippines. The league expects to make additional player announcements in the coming weeks.
Lopez's press release:
ATLANTA (July 13, 2021) &ndash; OTE (Overtime Elite) announced today that wing Francis &ldquo;Lebron&rdquo; Lopez from the Philippines has signed with the transformative new league and will be part of its inaugural season this September.&nbsp;
Lopez is a 6-foot-5 inch guard who most recently attended Ateneo de Manila High School, playing in the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) Season 82 after transferring from La Salle Greenhills. He averaged 16 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3 blocks per game.&nbsp;
Lopez was the youngest member of the Philippines National Team to participate in the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. In his one appearance, Lopez had 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block in 10 minutes of action in a win over Indonesia on June 18th. He was the final cut from the 12-man roster for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re delighted to have Lebron join the OTE family as we expand our international reach, bringing in top talent from across the globe,&rdquo; said Brandon Williams, OTE EVP, Head of Basketball Operations. &ldquo;Francis is a young man who has impressed us with both the combination of pure passion for the game and self-improvement, physical athleticism, work ethic, as well as many leadership intangibles. He&rsquo;s the kind of player we want and expect to thrive at OTE.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Francis is a high flyer with his ability to play above the rim,&rdquo; said Kevin Ollie, OTE Head Coach and Head of Player Development. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a young man with a ton of potential and we&rsquo;re building a program for him that will develop his game more completely, so that he can achieve his dream of a professional career and as a leader on the Philippines national team for years to come.&rdquo;
Lopez is the eleventh player to join OTE. Last week, OTE signed top prospect Jalen Lewis from California. In the past few weeks, the league announced the signings of top-rated guards Amen and Ausar Thompson and forwards Matt Bewley and Ryan Bewley from Florida.&nbsp;
OTE provides a comprehensive accelerator for elite players&rsquo; professional careers. The league, a division of next-generation sports brand Overtime, offers a year-round development program combining world-class coaching, cutting-edge sports science and performance technologies, top-notch facilities, and a rigorous, highly personalized academic program that energizes and enhances each athlete&rsquo;s journey.&nbsp;
Every OTE player will earn a six-figure salary, with a guaranteed minimum salary of at least $100,000 per year, plus bonuses and shares of equity in Overtime. In addition, players will participate in revenue from use of their name, image and likeness, including through sales of custom jerseys, trading cards, video games and NFTs.&nbsp;
About OTE
OTE (Overtime Elite) is a transformative new sports league that offers the world&rsquo;s most talented young basketball players a better pathway to becoming professional athletes, while engaging and inspiring a new community of digitally native fans.
OTE (pronounced Oh-Tee-E) provides a comprehensive accelerator for elite players&rsquo; professional careers. The league offers a year-round development program combining world-class coaching, cutting-edge sports science and performance technologies, top-notch facilities, and a rigorous, highly personalized academic program that energizes and enhances each athlete&rsquo;s journey from proficiency to pro.

Romanian guard Tudor Somacescu and Filipino wing Francis "LeBron" Lopez are the 11th and 12 prospects to join OTE.

Overtime Elite signs Tudor Somacescu, Francis 'LeBron' Lopez

This year, there were 107 international players from 41 countries on opening-night rosters for the 2020-21 NBA season.